Fantasy Baseball

Welcome Fellow Baseball Nuts!

Another day and another disappointment in the world of Fantasy Baseball.

As most of you already know I am a Fantasy Baseball obsessive. And there is nothing wrong with that only that I'm rather useless at it. But this year I have adopted a new approach. I have a team in five different Fantasy Leagues. Throw enough mud and some of it might stick - that's the theory. Surely one of them will be successful?

Except we are now a month into the season and four of the five are already fighting relegation. But no matter how bad I am, I can assure all you fellow fantasists that I haven't lost the belief, the desire, the commitment.

JC is writing a weekly blog for the only channel now showing live baseball in the UK, and once a month I join him for a discussion on any baseball related topic. This weeks issue? Yep - you guessed it! Fantasy Baseball. Enjoy!

April 14th 2009

Baseball at the House of Commons

Hello fellow baseball nuts.

If like me you're suffering serious withdrawal symptoms from a baseball less TV schedule. If like me the memory of JC's carpet head and sharp analytical baseball brain are fast becoming the stuff of legends and NOT reality. If like me you long for one sighting of Erik stuffing his face at the nearest hot dog stand, ketchup and mustard cascading down onto his latest purchase from Canada's answer to Mr.Buy-Right. If like me you wake up swinging for the fences, only to realise you struck out in the 1st, then you're in need of a baseball tonic. And I think Dr. Gould has just the medicine.

Guys and Girls our little show is reverberating around the corridors of power. Could the outcome swing the General Election? Which way will the House side?

Who cares? Because we may be going down, but we're going down in flames!

Baseball - it's Hardcore.

8th April 2009

Good evening fellow baseball-nuts - God I'm going to miss saying that - and a big warm welcome NOT to baseball on Five, but to my personal homage to the sport we all adore.

It's a bizarre feeling isn't it? No more baseball on Five.

Twelve amazing years as the longest running show on the Channel. In fact the ONLY show that had been on Five since its launch in 1997. I suppose that makes me their equivalent to Carol Vorderman…shame I wasn't on her wages!!

I know this off-season has been confusing and frustrating in equal measure. So many crossed messages as to our future (or lack of future) on Five. Let me fill you in as best I can. When we came off air after another cracking season, we genuinely believed that Baseball would be returning to Five. The contract was up for renewal with MLB but we had no reason to think either party would not sign a new deal.

Come mid-December and the situation had changed dramatically. I think it's safe to assume that money was the key issue for Five. The advertising income for all commercial TV Stations has just fallen through the floor. I was told on December the 15th by Sunset & Vine (the excellent Production Company that made the programme for all 12 years) that the programme was not coming back. That's probably when the rumours started to circulate that there were problems. Interestingly Five then seem to have a potential change of heart - possibly because of the wonderful deluge of upset e-mails and letters sent by you guys. Sadly whatever the truth of that rumour, the financial issues were to prove too big to overcome and the season has started without us.

But I refuse to be glum. It was an amazing ride, and the best job I'll ever have. And though all good things come to an end, we still have a choice. Are we going to let all that good work go to waste? Are we just going to stop swinging for the fences because Five have lost the love? The hell we are!! There is a baseball community in this country that we should all be rightly proud of, and I for one am not willing to walk away from it.

So first things first - we're going to get this sport back on TV. And don't ask me how. Right now I've no idea. What I do know is that there is so much passion, so much commitment amongst the UK baseball community, that together we can make it happen. So the first thing I've done is persuade those gallant, tireless moderators and technical gurus on the fantasybaseballUK.com site to keep our Fantasy Baseball League alive, with me as head honcho. If you haven't joined already, then check it out - your first team is still free, and I'm sorting some great baseball prizes for the weekly and monthly winners.

Only last night I met up with some of the big syrups at ESPN America - now the only channel showing live baseball in this. I will be doing my level best to develop leads and interest from other channels - the Beeb have already voiced a potential future interest. So all is not lost, in fact far from it. But I need you guys. All members of the Five Baseball Appreciation Society on Facebook. All of you that so readily signed up to the Erik the Producer Appreciation Society, the Big Davey Lengel Appreciation Society, the Josh Chetwynd is ok Society. The thousands that wrote e-mail after hilarious e-mail to the show. Your sport needs you, and I need you.